'My party option still open' says Shebesh

Nominated MP Rachel Shebesh has said that she is shopping for a political party that she’ll use in her bid to get back into Parliament after the next General Election.

The MP said that so far she had not defected from ODM, but when the deadline for defections come, she’ll make a decision.

Speaking at live interview with Citizen TV on Monday morning, Ms Shebesh said her presence at a strategy meeting for The National Alliance party in Naivasha over the weekend should not be interpreted as a defection, but she added that “there must be something about TNA”.

“I have been engaging many parties. I have engaged with Narc Kenya, to see whether I could go to Martha Karua’s party, that was my first choice; UDF could be an option; TNA is the third option,” said Ms Shebesh.

The MP said ODM, the party which nominated her to Parliament “is also one of the options”.

Ms Shebesh said her issues with ODM will be sorted out within the party’s organs, but added that she’ll only stick to the party if there’s a guarantee that the process of nomination of candidates will be “fair”.
“If I am forced to move, I want to have some credibility. Let it be said that Shebesh has made it clear there’s a problem with the process of nomination; and there’s a problem with the way I am interacting with my party leadership at this point in time…” she said.

Ms Shebesh publicly declared support for Water Minister Charity Ngilu when she launched her presidential bid.

Ms Shebesh has her eyes on the parliamentary seat to represent the women of Nairobi County in the National Assembly.

“I can only go back to that House, if I get a fair nomination process to get into it; or if I get a fair nomination process to vie through the party to get into Parliament,” she said.

“Why this decision is important to me, if it will be made, is that it will be made without me feeling any guilt. That’s because I have made it very clear, I have been very open, and transparent about it, and I have discussed it at all levels of ODM party’s leadership,” the nominated MP added.

The deadline for aspirants to change parties is October 18 this year, which is three months to the day that the parties have to submit their list of candidates to the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission.

Ms Shebesh said, that within a fortnight, there’d be an avalanche of defections as aspirants will be joining parties that are popular in their locality or those which were likely to issue them with nomination certificates for the polls without any qualms.

Kenya’s next elections are scheduled for March 4, 2013, and as per the law, the names of candidates have to be with the IEBC at least 45 days before the poll date.

Ms Shebesh said she had opted for the Nairobi County women representative because if she was to pick any of the constituencies in the capital city, then, she was likely to be boxed or forced to campaign along ethnic lines.

““This is the only seat which (while campaigning) I will not be forced to explain why I am not going with the Luhyas who married me, or the Kikuyus who did what…I want to be elected as Shebesh,” said Ms Shebesh.